24 CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



Specimens of the Hai-tsao obtained from Tientsin and identified 

 by Professors Agardli and Gobi, proved to belong to Sargassum 

 siliquast7'tim. The proper Chinese name of this is j!§ j^ (Hai-lo). 

 The large sea-weed which is so commonly used for food in China, 

 and called by the common name of ;^ ^ (Hai-ts'ai), comes 

 from the coast of Manchuria and Korea, and is Latninaria 

 sacchaj'iiia ; the correct Chinese name being |^ ^\ (K'un-pu) or 

 3^ ^ (Lun-pu). Several species of Laminaria^ Rhodymetiia^ 

 Alaria^ h^idcea^ and Potaviogeio7i are found in the Chinese 

 medicine shops. Their identification is very uncertain. The 

 names \% |^: (Hai-tsao), ^ ^ (Hai-tai), 354, \^. || (Hai-yiin), 

 and ^ ^ (K'un-pu), 677, are applied rather indiscriminately to 

 these specimens. '-'•Agar-agar^'' is made of Gracilm-ia licJie- 

 noides^ Gracilaria spinosa^ Gigartina teiiax^ and Sphisrococcus^ 

 which grow upon the shores of most of the islands of the 

 eastern sea. Nostoc edjile is another form of edible sea-weed. 

 In colloquial, however, these are all called ^ '%, (Hai-ts'ai). 



The Pentsao recommends all of the medicinal algse in the 

 treatment of goitre. Under the name of Gilhir-ka-putta^ a 

 dried sea-weed, assumed to be collected near the mouth of the 

 Saghalien river, is highly prized in upper India as a remedy 

 for bronchocele. K'un-pu is recommended in dropsies of all 

 kinds, and Hai-tai is prescribed in menstrual disorders, and is 

 said to have the power of increasing the action of the uterus 

 in difficult labors. The Chinese regard a diet of sea-weed as 

 cooling, but rather debilitating if pursued for a long time. A 

 fine quality of sea-weed, which has been cleansed and bleached, 

 is imported from Japan and sold under the name of ^ |j^ 

 (Yang-ts'ai). It is called isinglass in the table of imports. 

 Among fresh water algse, the Phitsao speaks of, || ^ ^ (Lung- 

 she-ts'ao), 790, "dragon tongue," which is specially recom- 

 mended as an application in the treatment of mammary abscess 

 and cancer. We cannot agree with Faber in classifying ^ 25 

 (Shih-jui) among the algae ; it is a lichen. 



ALISMA PLANTAGO.— ^1 \% (Tse-hsieh), 1354. This 

 is the common water plantain, which in Northern China grows 

 plentifully in ditches and ponds. Other names given for it in 

 the Phitsao are ^JC \% (Shui-hsieh;, J^ J^ (Chi-hsieh), % {g 



